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User Story Written By: PVCMan

Page 1 of 2

Since writing my story about Premature Ventricular Contractions and heartburn, I have received a number of emails about heartburn remedies and requests to clarify my experiences (I wish everyone would post these requests on the discussion boards or comments though!). Not all of these people are sufferers of Premature Ventricular Contractions, but it seems to be a subject that many want to discuss and I also take a lot of hits where people are searching for heartburn. So I felt compelled to write an article dedicated to heartburn and go into a little more detail about how I overcame it.

If you are a heartburn sufferer, the chances are you have read many items on the web and sought medical advice on a number of occasions. I know I used to and to be frank, I got sick and tired of the patronising standardisation coming from people who are clearly paid to simply give text book responses or are simply re-embellishing knowledge they gained from others.

For example, when I used to suffer so bad with heartburn, the vast majority of the time it was equally as bad while sitting and relaxing as when I was laying down horizontal in bed! So what improvement is raising my pillow a couple of inches at night time going to achieve?!!! This suggestion sounds like non-educated assumption rather than the result of medical research. Admittedly, the reflux is more prone to reach further up into the throat when horizontal, but the core issue the doctors should be focusing on is why you're getting heartburn in the first place.

There are a number of theories about the cause of heartburn, but just to reinforce the phrase "One man's meat is another man's poison", I have read on quite a few occasions that bananas are a natural antacid and consumption is encouraged. Well sorry folks, but for me bananas were possibly one of the worst foods for triggering heartburn. I have also heard phrases like "No worry, no hurry, no curry". Well, I have to agree with the worry part as I think stress (as with almost any other ailment) will almost certainly exacerbate the condition. Curry?... maybe but it doesn't cause me any problems now I have found a natural way to beat heartburn, so yet again the statements about foods like curry appear to be based on assumption. Besides this, almost all foods used to aggravate my heartburn in one way or another, but the most significant food types were:

- Coffee

- Beer

- Oily foods

- Lettuce

- Cucumber

- Citrus fruits

- Cheese

- Well I am not going to waste any more web space, so pretty much every food caused heartburn, but those mentioned above seemed to trigger it the quickest.

Apparently caffeine can be responsible for causing the Pyloric Sphincter (the valve at the bottom of the stomach) to constrict, while also causing the Lower Oesophageal Sphincter (the valve at the top of the stomach) to relax. This is a perfect recipe to allow gastric enzymes to reflux into the oesophagus. So maybe that's why the coffee gave me so much trouble. The thing is though, if I read out the above list to a doctor, he/she would be pretty much guaranteed to attack the obvious ones like coffee, beer, oily foods etc. If (like me) you started to miss these items out when talking to the doctor, and only list the healthy items which were just as much culprits, the doctor then turns to the prescription method and prescribes something like Proton Pump Inhibitors (or PPIs)!

My argument is; what exactly is refluxing into the oesophagus? Stomach acid is only one digestive factor. There is also bile which is stored and released from the gallbladder for the emulsification of lipids. Then there is the pancreas which produces digestive enzymes that pass to the small intestine to further aid digestion. And on top of all this, there is good old stomach acid (hydrochloric acid also known as HCL). In fact, if you consult a popular online encyclopaedia, you'll soon realise there is a heck of a lot more to your stomach's process than just acid and food.

About the author

User ID: PVCManAcc type: CurePVCs.comJoined: Oct 01 2009Threads: 99Discussion Posts: 228Slogan: Live your life to the full and every day like it's your last.

Comments

SheriType: VisitorNovato, USA

Posted: 8 years ago

It's all about body pH. Yes, enzymes too are important. Research "acidosis" and note that apple cider vinegar once digested leaves an "alkaline" ash affect on the body NOT an acidic affect. Lemons as well are considered to have an alkaline effect. Sugar, caffeine are acidic, etc. Balance your body's pH and perhaps you'll find solution to many issues (PVC, GERD, gout, etc.), and as well your body will stop leaching calcium, magnesium, potassium to compensate. Alkalize or Die, as the book says...

ACVAdvocateType: VisitorUK

Posted: 7 years ago

Interesting Sheri,

But you said digestion of ACV. But it's the acid in ACV that is helping people's digestion (myself included). Nor does it answer PVCMan's final remark:"When we eat food, if natural forming stomach acid and enzymes are being neutralized through ant-acid medicine or Proton Pump Inhibitors, then how does the food get fully digested."?